Baby sitter



Dec. 27, 1955 c. J. THOMPSON 2,728,377

BABY SITTER Filed Aug. 24, 1954 Inventor:

his Atto ey United States Patent BABY SITTER Clitord .lames Thompson, Davenport, Fla. Application August 24, 1954, Serial No. 451,872

3 Claims. (Cl. 155-123) This invention relates to baby sitters and has for its principal object the provision of a device that will aid in developing a child physically and will teach coordination of hands and feet.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a merrygo-round baby sitter in which the relation of the child to an annular tray can be varied in accordance with the age of the child so as to position the child at approximately a grown up level, this tending to make it easier to administer to the child without excessive calisthenics on the part of the parent.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sturdy but light frame which supports a central chair in the opening of an annular anged tray so the chair may be revolved freely to permit 360 exploration of the tray or looking at any point in the room or yard and movable to any desired elevation with respect to the tray, this allowing for long service as the child grows in size. The chair is designed to give maximum comfort to the child at all appropriate ages, being adjustable to a reclining position before the child can sit alone and holding an older child in erect position if so desired.

ln the drawings:

Figure l is an isometric view of the baby sitter.

Figure 2 is an enlarged central vertical sectional view through a portion of the device, showing more plainly certain constructional features.

Figure 3 is a plan View of the seat frame, the seat cushion and seat covering being removed.

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional detail View of the guard ring attachment.

Figure 5 is a detail plan view, partly in section, of one of the lower frame connections.

The frame of the baby sitter is preferably composed of at least three vertical legs 10, 11 and 12 secured to an annular tray 15 at their tops and also secured as by the screws 16 to a tubular hoop 17 about midway of the height of the legs, each leg carrying a castor 18 so that the frame formed of the tray and the legs may be moved from place to place with convenience. A central support 20 is permanently secured as by welding to horizontal struts 21, 22 and 23 and positions in any desirable manner a standard 25 vertically movable in the support and also adjustable as to height and with freedom for easy rotation. The specific manner in which this connection may be made may be of many dilerent forms. a very satisfactory method being to provide a plurality of openings 26 in the hollow support 20 and have a U-bolt 27 passing through three of these holes and letting the standard 25 rest on either the end 28 or the midportion 29 of the bolt 27, depending on whether the end 28 is up or down, as a bearing on which the standard 25 rotates freely in the vertical support Ztl. The bolt may be placed in any of the holes 26, thus raising or lowering the standard. A knurled nut 30 engages the support and locks the bolt in chosen adjusted position.

The standard 25 is welded to a sleeve 31 housing a 2,728,377 Patented Dec. 27, 1955 pivot rod 33 to which are secured the heads 34 and 35 of the rod 37 forming the metal portion of the seat and back. The rod is threaded as at 38 to receive a clamp 40 having a handle 41 by means of which the head 34 may be pressed against the sleeve thus locking the rod 37 at any desired position so the seat may be held erect if so desired or may be tilted back to afford a reclining position for a younger child. The rod 37 is centrally curved as at 42 to form the top of the back 43 of the chair or seat, then curving as at 44 to form the seat portion 45 joining the bar portion 46 in a U curve 47. A cover is slipped over the rod 37 and is tied by tapes 51 to the sleeve 31 for convenient removal as for cleaning. A pair of tubes 54 and 55 are welded to the sleeve 33, the longer tube 55 furnishing a stop against which the bar portion 46 of the rod 37 rests when the seat is in erect position. The back 42-43 of the seat extends upwardly through the opening 56 in the tray 15 to a height sucient to support the childs head, the back of the cover 50 also serving to prevent the childs neck from possible draughts.

A sleeve 57 is positioned on each of the three uprights lll, 11 and 12 and may be fastened at any desired elevation by means of a thumb screw 58. These sleeves each carry, by means of a short section of chain 59, a floating foot ring 60 which can be held at any desired elevation and may be moved up and down to correspond with the position of the seat. This ring is normally placed so as to be most convenient to the: child at the seat elevation chosen. The ring 60 is supported in the recited manner in order that no harm is done should the child suddenly kick out and strike the ring with its foot. With a very young child kicking the foot merely strikes the ring against one of the legs, this giving a tinkling sound as it is preferred the ring and the legs shall be made of seamless aluminum tubing. However the child soon finds that by putting his foot on the ring he is able to turn the chair. He also nds that he can turn the chair by grasping the inside margin of the tray 15 which preferably has an annular rubber channel 62. The outside margin of the tray is secured to a ring 64 which provides an upstanding margin to prevent articles being pushed oil of the tray 15.

A convenient manner of joining the tray to the legs is to provide pins 66 extending downwardly from the tubular ring 64 and latching to a socket 67 frictionally tted in the legs by means of a split ring 68. The pins 66 thus hold the tray 15, usually of a waterproof sheet material such as Masonite, in tight engagement with the ring 64 and the sockets 67 while providing for quick and easy separation of the tray and frame. Rigidity of the frame is aided by securing a nut 71 in a brace such as 23 and by soldering together at right angles cylindrical portions 72 and 73 of sheet metal to engage respectively a leg such as 10 and the hoop 17 and passing the screw 16 through the leg, the` portions 72 and 73, the hoop 17 and into the nut 71.

Coordination is taught the child as he finds that he can face in the desired direction either by grasping the tray or by using the oating foot ring, or, easiest of all, by a combination of the two movements using both hands and feet to revolve his chair. All four of his limbs are thus used and the muscles are developed.

What l claim is:

l. The combination with a frame having at least three vertical legs, a central support, and horizontal members joining the support to the legs, of an annular tray secured to the frame, a standard vertically movable in said support, a seat mounted on the standard, a back extending from the seat to a level above the tray and a ring suspended within the frame below the tray approximately coaxial with the tray in a position convenient to a child sitting on the seat, whereby the child may engage the ring and thereby rotate the seat.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which the ring is adjustably supported from a position near the top of the legs by means of chains permitting a swinging of the ring within the frame but limiting to a small angle rotation of the ring within the frame.

3. In combination, a frame having at least three vertical legs, a central support, horizontal members rigidly securing the support to each of the legs, an annular tray secured to the frame, and having upstanding flanges at its inner and its outer peripheries, a standard vertically movable in the support to position the top of the standard at any desired elevation above the support, a seat mounted on said standard, a back extending from the seat through the opening in the tray to a level above the tray, a ring suspended within the frame below the tray approximately coaxial with the tray, from the legs by means of sie on the legs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS McKean June 12, Simonds Mar. 28, Walter et al. June 24, Pocock Aug. 19, Baum et al, Nov. 1, Dunson Nov. 23, Thompson Apr. 25, Turner May 23,

McKinney Dec. 21,

said ring being supported eves adjustable vertically 

